# Of goby fish behavior. Of interest to aquarists.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 9, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805 "2019-07-09T23:21:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805/1 "2019-07-09T23:21:25Z")

</div>

We bought a [war paint goby,](https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-war-paint-clown-goby) acclimated him to a small tank all his own, and he dove under a rock and hasn’t been seen since. A second one acclimated to a populated tank, vanished, to be discovered hiding in a duncan coral. The [citron gobies](https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-clown-goby-citron) hang out on the side of the tank, using their goby suction cup fins. I am amazed that two species, exactly alike save for coloration, show such different behavior.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805/2 "2019-07-10T00:52:25Z")

</div>

I haven’t ventured into saltwater, but I’ve noticed the same behavior variance with different types of loaches. I got a little black one that I didn’t see again until I was changing the under gravel filter (he hung out down there), and I had a yellow one that stayed out in the plants and “hid” by wrapping himself in leaves.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805/3 "2019-07-10T01:10:31Z")

</div>

Mrs. Plant’s (v.3.0) loaches tend to hide until it is time to eat, when they swarm out like ravenous…fish.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805/4 "2019-07-10T01:19:25Z")

</div>

I love their little barbels around their mouth. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-goby-fish-behavior-of-interest-to-aquarists/836805/5 "2019-07-10T14:36:11Z")

</div>

Could it be having company? I don’t know from gobies, but clown loaches own the tank in groups of five or more. Fewer than that\* and they dig out a cave usually underneath the cave I have provided for them) and hide all day.

- Always excepting Angel, the antisocial clown loach who eats anyone I put in the tank with her.